Loading...
04-22-03 WSApri122, 2003 Page 1 MINUTES CITY COUNCIL WORK SESSION - Apri122, 2003 A work session of the Hopkins City Council was called to order by Mayor Gene Maxwell at 6:30 p.m. on Apri122, 2003, at the City Hall. Council members Brausen, Jensen and Johnson were present. City personnel present were: City Manager Mielke, Building Official Rick Davidson, City Planner Nancy Anderson, City Attorney Jerry Steiner, Police Chief Craig Reid and Katherine Magdal. Rental'Licensing Ordinance Mr. Davidson said that Ordinance 2002-890.seeks to revise licensing rental properties. The major thrust is tenant conduct and holding the landlords accountable for the conduct of their tenants. Feedback from both HAMA and the Apartment Owners Association has been largely favorable. Answering Mr. Brausen, he said `dwelling unit' is a unit with cooking facilities and a bathroom, as contrasted to a sleeping room, which has no cooking or bathing facilities. The efficiency apartment definition included `plus bathroom facilities' to avoid ambiguity. Ms. Jensen complimented staff on the layout of the comparison for Council. Chief Reid says he is very supportive of the amendments. Answering Ms. Jensen, Mr. Davidson said such issues as usage of hot plates, etc. would be handled by the administrative citations system, which has been a real help to staff. The amendments are more concerned with such things as weapons, disruptive behavior, noise, etc. and give the city and landlords a means of getting problematic tenants out. If a complaint is filed, Ms. Magdal checks it out; if she finds it a real issue, it is then given to Mr. Davidson. Answering Mayor Maxwell, he said after an eviction notice there is a 25-day period; unlawful detainer action is faster. If the problem would cause the landlord to lose his license, the process is faster. Landlords are cited for the first two problems; the third causes suspension of the license for that unit. Once the problem is solved, the suspension is ended. Answering Ms. Johnson, he said the new requirements would be sent with license renewals. As other units are discovered, landlords will be sent notices; if they don't respond, they will be cited. Mr. Mielke commented he had received calls that the 200-300 block of 7`h Ave. N. has several homes being bought, apparently for rentals. General Consensus: Council favors the new ordinance; second reading should be in May. Effective date should be 60 days . Mr. Davidson then asked for feedback on raising licensing fees. Hopkins has one of the lowest fee schedules in the area, and costs are not covered. There was a short discussion. General Consensus: Fees should go to $20 base fee + $5 per unit, or as needed to cover cost. The fee schedule should be reviewed in a year. A resolution will be brought to Council. Site Plan Review/ CUP Standards Discussion Ms. Anderson said Attorney Steiner has long recommended that the CUP process be supplemented by site plan reviews. Mr. Steiner said the latter is used by most cities; CUP is normally used for special usages that are not normally permitted. That is why it is a "conditional use permit." Site plan review would cover all building projects. He feels cost is not a good Apri122, 2003 Page 2 criterion. Ms. Anderson added most cities use intensification of use or a percentage of enlargements as criterion on remodeling projects; dollar numbers can be faked too easily. There was discussion of past projects and how they would have been covered by a site plan review. Answering Council questions, Ms. Anderson and Mr. Steiner said that different percentages could be used for different zoning areas; thresholds could be established for Council review; the word "exterior" could be added so facade work would be specifically included; a cumulative period of one year could be included. It was stressed that if a site plan review started, it would cover the complete site, not just the specific work requested. Mr. Steiner said that CUP's last only as long as the conditional use lasts; site plan review would be permanent. Ms. Anderson said Z&P would look at the draft next month. General Consensus: The site plan review process is a good idea. Work should continue on it with review required for projects changing 50% or more of a facade or 10% or more of square footage (or a set square footage for industrial). Cost should not be a criterion. HBCA should be approached for comments. Review Wireless Telecommunication Facilities Ordinance Ms. Anderson said Council suggestions had been incorporated. Mr. Steiner said he felt the ordinance was good and needed only a little "fine-tuning." Ms. Anderson said Z&P would discuss it next week at 7:30. General Consensus was to go ahead. Mr. Brausen said he had received a call from a realtor about Beth Shalom Synagogue. Ms. Anderson said she tells callers to submit concepts, but so far has received none. Community Policing Discussion Police Chief Reid said he feels community-policing fits very well with the organizational priorities of Hopkins as defined in the vision statement discussions. He has implemented changes that carry this forward. Officers now "own" their calls until closure. When he came, Hennepin County said Hopkins had the poorest police reports in the County; the County Attorney's office has helped and he is continuing training in report writing. Staff is now organized into "teams" plus a permanent sergeant. Captain Liddy is now able to check reports and oversee sergeants on an ongoing basis. This year there will now be a way to have meaningful statistics on call load, etc. He said he feels the quality of his officers is high and he is proud of them. He outlined what he has been able to accomplish of the 14 goals listed when he was hired. He said he was excited about implementing those, and feels progress is slower than he would like. School contact by uniformed officers is down because of overtime constraints, but Ms. Magdal does an excellent job with the students. Community contacts are ongoing, but when officers change shifts, community assignments change. Where contacts have stayed the same, satisfaction is very high. While crime load is down 20%; suspicion cases are up 60% and public welfare cases are up 127 % . One of his goals this year is to reduce the bottlenecks in the report process so that "report to close" is down from 5-7 days to 3. He has a contact response mailing, but returns are only 1 %. He is currently trying to help his staff define values for the department. At this point, he feels he has done all he can do to implement the 14 goals. Answering Council questions, he said officers dictate reports. He doesn't like 12-hour shifts, but the alternatives won't work; 8-hour Apri122, 2003 Page 3 shifts would require 6-8 more officers. He has not had afull-strength staff since he came. He has hired 19 of the 42 in his department. He has told his staff that no matter what the budget is, 911 calls will be answered promptly. Mr. Mielke said one reason for the discussion is the budget issues. Is the Council satisfied with progress in the police department? . Ms. Johnson commented there should be a way to have those areas that take police time pay for that service. Ms. Jensen wondered if a "police dedication fund" such as the park fund could be possible. Mayor Maxwell said he feels Chief Reid and his department have made excellent strides and feels progress, while slowed by budget constraints, will continue. Other Ms. Jensen expressed concern about the carry-&-conceal weapon law. Chief Reid said Steve Kelley and Jim Rhodes have been very supportive of the police department concerns. Mayor Maxwell said once he knows what would be in the bill, he can decide if he would support a resolution. Mr. Mielke said an alternative would be to do something to support certain principles rather than a law. Ms. Johnson said the GED graduation would be June 3. It was agreed to move the HRA meeting to 8:00 and Council to 8:15. Mr. Mielke handed out a draft on an article on budget issues for the next newsletter. Mr. Mielke said Hopkins House is up for sale. A developer contacted him about remodeling it for low- and medium-income senior housing; he told the developer he could submit the proposal but did not think the Council would be in favor of it. Today he got a phone call saying the developer was holding off as there was another bid, but he has no details. Mr.Brausen moved adjournment. Ms. Johnson seconded. Meeting adjourned at 9:55 p.m. Kasey Kester, Secretary ATTEST: Eugene J. ax 11, Mayor COUNCIL MEMBERS: